


It's Okay

by nxghtwxng



Series: Unlikely Allies [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Batbrothers (DCU), Batbrothers (DCU) Bonding, Batfamily (DCU), Brotherly Bonding, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Coming Out, Family, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:28:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24333625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nxghtwxng/pseuds/nxghtwxng
Summary: “Timothy!” Tim’s head whipped around to see Damian walking from the direction of the manor, Titus strolling obediently at his side. “I require your presence.”“Why?” Tim asked skeptically.“I just wish to speak with you about a topic you are rather well-versed in.”Ah. That was Damian Speak for “I want to talk about gay stuff.”ORDamian comes out to Bruce, but not before asking Tim for advice.Sequel toThe Consoling Big Brother Rolebut can be read alone!
Relationships: Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown & Tim Drake, Tim Drake & Damian Wayne
Series: Unlikely Allies [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1786231
Comments: 28
Kudos: 612





	It's Okay

Tim exhaled slowly in an effort to steady his heartbeat. His back pressed against the tree he was using as cover, the only thing standing between him and an onslaught of bullets. He tightened his grip around his weapon, his mind scrambling for a coherent plan. 

A voice rang through his comm, interrupting his train of thought. “Spoiler to Red Robin. Do you copy?”

“Red Robin to Spoiler. I copy.”

“What’s your twenty?”

Tim scanned his surroundings, careful not to move too far out from his cover. “Behind the farthest tree on the east side of the courtyard,” he informed his partner.

“Acknowledged. Backup is on the way,” she replied.

“Negative!” Tim interjected. “She’s got eyes on me, and I can’t move position. She’ll be expecting you. If you come over here, you’re toast.”

“Oh, Timmy, you have so little faith in me,” Steph laughed. “I’m en route. Spoiler out.”

Tim let out a breath and weighed his options. He didn’t have much time. If he didn’t act now, Steph was going to get herself shot. If he exposed himself, there was no question he’d get hit, but it might be enough of a distraction for Steph to make a move. It was a calculated sacrifice, their best option if they wanted to win this one.

Decision made, Tim raised his weapon and ran out from behind the tree. As expected, he was met with a forward attack. The world moved in slow motion as he did everything in his power to avoid the bullets, but his efforts were futile. A bullet grazed his shoulder, and then he was hit square in the chest.

“Tim’s out!” Cass shouted, brandishing her Nerf Gun triumphantly.

Tim let out a breath that fell somewhere between a sigh and a laugh. He then tossed his Nerf Gun onto the nearest patio table and began to pick up the stray bullets that littered the courtyard. It was a tedious job, but the alternatives were being scolded by Alfred for leaving rubbish in the courtyard, or waiting for Titus to turn the bullets into chew toys.

Cass flipped down from her tree, landing flawlessly in the grass below. “I need bullets,” she told Tim, holding her hands out.

Tim shook his head. “Nope. I refuse to help the enemy,” he retorted. Steph would be here any minute now. With Cass out of bullets, they had the advantage now. (Two against one was hardly an advantage when the one was Cass Cain.)

“You’re out,” Cass repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Tim raised his own brow in reply. “But the bet is still on, and I don’t wanna lose.” They’d only bet twenty dollars, which was admittedly less than pocket change when your adoptive father is the richest man in Gotham City, but Tim wasn’t keen on losing. He wanted the bragging rights. 

Tim watched as Steph ran into the courtyard and began climbing the tree that Cass had just vacated. If he could just distract his sister long enough, Steph could get a shot in and the two of them could win this thing.

Unfortunately, Cass apparently wasn’t keen on losing either. She dropped down so suddenly Tim barely registered the movement before his feet were swept from under him. He fell to the floor, dropping his collection of Nerf ammo in the process. Cass snatched a fallen bullet, loaded it into her gun, and shot at the old oak. 

From his place on the ground, Tim blinked. Cass had had her back to the tree; how had she even noticed Steph?

“Steph’s out! I win!” And now Tim was down twenty dollars.

“No fair!” Steph shouted from her place in the tree. “Timmy, catch,” she added, throwing her Nerf Gun in his direction. Tim caught the Nerf, and with her hands free, Steph was able to swing from a low hanging branch, gaining enough momentum to flip down into the grass.

Steph and Cass began to pick up where Tim had left off, collecting the Nerf ammo that was strewn around the yard. Tim was about to join them when a voice rang out.

“Timothy!” Tim’s head whipped around to see Damian walking from the direction of the manor, Titus strolling obediently at his side. “I require your presence.”

“Why?” Tim asked skeptically.

Damian and Tim had an odd relationship, to say the least. Since Damian had come out to Tim about a month ago, the Baby Bat no longer avoided him like the plague. He had actually reached out to Tim a handful of times, sometimes asking questions about Tim’s own coming out as he debated whether or not he wanted to tell the other Bats, sometimes offering or asking for help with ongoing cases. It was definitely new, the two of them getting along well enough to have full conversations that didn’t (always) end with black eyes and/or death threats.

However, Damian confiding in Tim didn’t magically erase their rivalry. Yes, in the month since Damian’s coming out the two had grown closer, but the last month had also resulted in a new No Sparring With Weapons When Bruce or Dick Aren’t Around Rule after an unsupervised training session ended with a new stab wound for Tim, courtesy of Damian and his katana, and a grade two concussion for Damian from Tim and his bo staff.

Damian rolled his eyes. “Nothing nefarious, I promise.”

Tim remained skeptical. “Yeah, forgive me if I find that hard to believe.”

“I just wish to speak with you about a topic you are rather well-versed in.”

Ah. That was Damian Speak for “I want to talk about gay stuff.”

“Alright,” Tim replied, pushing himself up from the ground, Steph’s Nerf Gun still in hand.

Damian wrinkled his nose in distaste. “You’re nearly an adult. Why do you continue to play with children’s toys.”

“They’re fun. Look,” Tim answered. He raised the Nerf and shot the remaining bullets at Damian, who promptly began yelling at Tim.

“Dami’s out!” Cass shouted, approaching the boys with two handfuls of Nerf bullets and Steph hot on her heels.

“I wasn’t even playing!”

“Do you want to?” Cass asked. “My team? Just go get your comm.”

Damian opened his mouth, most likely to tell them off for using their hero tech for something as trivial as a Nerf Gun fight. Tim cut him off before he could get started. “Maybe in a little,” he told Cass. “I’m gonna help Dami out with something real quick.”

Ignoring Damian’s shout of “Don’t call me Dami!” Tim headed for the ornate French panels that lead back into the manor. Damian huffed, annoyed, but nonetheless followed behind Tim, leaving Titus to run about the courtyard.

Tim, Damian, and Cass were all home for the week, the three of them on Spring Break from school. Dick and Jason had promised to drop by for a pool party sometime at the end of the week, but today Dick had to work and Jason and a couple of the Outlaws were on an undercover mission. With Bruce stuck at Wayne Enterprises and Alfred away at the local farmer’s market for the afternoon, the teens had the run of the manor. 

Steph had come over a few hours ago to hang out with Tim and Cass, but Damian had spent the day in his room doing whatever it was Demon Spawns did on their days off. Tim suspected it had something to do with knives. Maybe explosives.

Damian didn’t say anything as they walked back inside the manor. Tim made his way to the kitchen, knowing Dami would follow. He peered in the pantry for a moment, then pulled out bread and peanut butter before searching the fridge for jelly. Damian sat himself on one of the barstools at the kitchen island, but stayed quiet.

“Do you want one?” Tim asked. Damian merely shrugged, but Tim decided to take it as a yes. He grabbed two plates from the cupboard and waited for Damian to start talking. 

Damian, Tim had come to realize, was not the best at starting conversations, especially when those conversations revolved around the possibility of coming out. There were always a few minutes of silence before he spoke. Tim was pretty sure he just felt awkward talking about the whole gay thing, though a part of him wondered if he just hated having to come to Tim for advice and used the minutes of silence to reevaluate his life choices.

Whatever the reason, Tim was used to it now. He waited patiently, making the two of them sandwiches, and sliding one to Damian when he’d finished. He put away the sandwich fixings and brought his plate to the kitchen island, standing opposite of where Damian sat. Finally, as Tim took his first bite, Damian spoke.

“I want to tell them,” Damian stated. He didn’t clarify any further, but Tim understood what he meant.

“Cool,” Tim replied. He took another bite of his sandwich.

Damian sighed, picking at the crust of his own PBJ. “I just don’t know who I want to tell first, or how I want to say it.”

Tim hummed in understanding. 

Coming out, he’d realized, meant something different for Damian than it had for Tim. For Tim, he hadn’t been worried about how people would react. It was nothing more than a quick PSA, a facet of his life that he figured his family should probably know. 

Damian, though… Damian was raised with the idea that he would one day lead the League of Assassins ingrained into his very being. His whole life, right up until he met Bruce and moved to Gotham, revolved around being the perfect heir. That role not only included brutal training that Tim was pretty sure qualified as child abuse, but learning and upholding the ideals of the League. One of those ideals just happened to be heritage.

In the League of Assassins, the very idea that one could choose their own family was absurd. The family Bruce had created, one comprised almost solely of adopted, crime-fighting orphans, was, in the League’s opinion, illegitimate. Bloodlines defined family, and heritage defined a person’s worth.

Over the years, Damian had come to understand and respect Bruce’s definition of family. He no longer called himself Bruce’s blood son, only pulling the Real Son Card when he was arguing with his brothers. (Never his sister because Cass was definitely Damian’s favorite. Hell, Cass was everyone’s favorite.)

Nevertheless, in Damian’s mind, Tim could see that Bruce’s definition of family had yet to altogether replace Talia’s. Damian believed his bloodline secured him his position in the League of Assassins, and that position came with the responsibility of producing his own heir to succeed him should he die. 

Damian had brought up the issue quite a few times since he first came out to Tim. Still, despite Dami’s insistence that he would one day take over the League, Tim couldn’t help but think it unlikely. If Damian himself didn’t choose to give up his position in the League, Bruce would likely keep him locked in the Batcave before he let Talia corrupt Damian again.

Tim had stopped pressing the issue, though. The idea of giving up the League always seemed to put Damian on edge in a way Tim just couldn’t understand. He’d tried to take a different approach in soothing Dami’s worry, pointing out that if he still wanted to lead the League when he was older, he could always get a surrogate. Damian insisted it wasn’t the same in the League’s eyes, though Tim couldn’t see how surrogacy was much different from Talia using Bruce to conceive Damian. That was another issue Tim didn’t press.

Nevertheless, regardless of any advice Tim offered. Damian’s revelation that he was gay messed with the very ideals he’d been raised on. His coming out wasn’t going to be a quick announcement at a family breakfast like Tim’s had been. He needed complete control over who he told and how, when, and where he told them. He would need reassurance from Bruce and a bear hug from Dick and quiet consolation from Cass. He needed to know that everything would be okay.

“Well,” Tim said. “You kind of already told me first.”

Damian rolled his eyes. He didn’t voice a reply, but he finally stopped picking at his sandwich and actually took a bite.

“I just mean, you’ve already come out to someone. What’s stopping you from coming out to everyone else. If you’ve done it once you can do it… How many of us are there? Six? Seven if you count Alfred? And I guess nine if you want to count Steph and Babs-”

“Drake,” Damian interjected. “Cease your rambling and get to the point.”

“Jeez, I’m trying to help you,” Tim argued. “I’m just saying, you’ve already done it once and it wasn’t a big deal. Coming out doesn’t have to be a big deal if you don’t let it.”

Damian chewed thoughtfully on his sandwich. Tim ate the last couple bites of his own lunch and began rinsing his plate off in the sink. He may be a bit of a slob, but even he wouldn’t dare to mess up Alfred’s pristine kitchen.

“But who do I tell first?” Damian asked.

“Second,” Tim corrected, only a tad bit smug. Damian glared. Tim cracked a smile. 

“I’m guessing you probably want to start with Bruce or Dick?” At Damian’s nod he continued. “Tell Bruce first. If you tell him, he’ll keep it a secret, which means you can come out to Dick on your own terms too.”

“Are you saying Grayson can’t keep a secret?” Damian retorted, his voice lilting like he was just daring Tim to talk poorly about his favorite brother.

Tim snorted. “Look, when it comes to deep cover missions and secret IDs, Dick would never tell a soul. But family drama? Babs would know within the hour, and Bruce would know by the end of the week. Trust me.”

Damian nodded and finished his sandwich. Tim reached for Damian’s now empty plate, and Dami handed it off. “Thanks,” he said as he slid down from the barstool and headed back to his room to, Tim assumed, practice stabbing people and start planning for world domination. 

Tim wasn’t sure if the thank you had been for the sandwich or the advice, but Baby Brat never said thank you, so he’d take it either way. He put the plates away and went back outside to find Steph and Cass.

* * *

It was a little before five by the time Bruce got home from Wayne Enterprises. Damian had been in the library, a Dickens novel opened in his lap, when he’d heard the garage door open and the faint rumble of the engine from one of Bruce’s ridiculously expensive cars. He slid a bookmark into the pages and exited the library, book still in hand. He headed straight for the garage. 

It was currently Tuesday. On Friday, Grayson and Todd would be visiting the manor for a Spring Break pool party, which Damian found only slightly idiotic. After the family pool party, Damian would head back to Blüdhaven with Dick to spend the tailends of his school vacation with his brother. That Blüdhaven visit, Damian had decided, would be the perfect opportunity to come out to Grayson without the rest of his family poking their obnoxious noses in where they didn’t belong.

Drake, though, had suggested he tell Bruce first, and as much as he loathed Timothy, the imbecile actually gave okay advice, especially about Damian’s current… predicament. If Damian was to follow his advice, he would have to talk to his father sometime before Friday. He figured he may as well be pragmatic and do so at the earliest opportunity.

The door to the garage opened and Bruce stepped through the threshold, a briefcase in his hands and a tired look on his face. His eyebrow raised when he saw his youngest waiting for him at the door. “Damian,” he greeted.

“Father,” Damian replied. Two words. Two words and then it would be over and he could stop worrying about his father and start worrying about Grayson and how to best avoid Grayson’s infamous bear hugs that were sure to follow Damian’s coming out. His hands tightened around his novel. 

“Did you need something?” Bruce asked. Damian vaguely realized he was blocking his father’s entrance into the manor.

“I just… I wanted to inform you of something.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow and Damian realized it was probably a bit odd to be intercepting his father at the manor’s threshold. He supposed he could have waited until Bruce was at least inside the house. “Yes?” 

“I…” Damian hesitated. Why was this so hard? It shouldn’t be this hard. He was Damian Al Ghul Wayne, son of Batman and heir to the League of Assassins. The League… His mother… 

He tried again. “I’m-”

“Hey, B Man!” Damian whipped his head around. Brown. Of course.

“Hey, Bruce,” And Drake. The two looked like they had finally grown bored of their childish games in the courtyard and were headed back upstairs to Tim’s room.

“Hello, Stephanie, Tim,” Bruce greeted. Then, shifting his gaze towards Damian he added, “Would you mind letting me in the house?” Damian shuffled out of the doorway.

“Hey, is it cool if Steph and I meet Kon to see a movie after dinner?” Drake asked, completely oblivious to the significance of the moment he and Stephanie had just interrupted. “We’ll be back in time for patrol.”

“That’s fine,” Bruce answered.

“Can Kon come over after the movie to help with patrol?”

“No metas in Gotham.”

“Okay, but you break that rule all the time. Clark was literally here last week.”

“Hrnn.”

Damian huffed, growing impatient. He pushed past all his father and brother, shoving Drake with just a little too much force to be seen as accidental.

“What’s his problem?” Damian heard Stephanie ask. He ignored her and stomped back to the library. Throwing himself into the nearest his arm chair, he reopened his novel and glared at the pages more so than read them. After about ten minutes he gave up on reading and headed upstairs to his room, ignoring Drake and Brown when he saw them in the hallway.

Upon reaching his room, he shut the door with only a tad more force than necessary. Alfred the Cat, who was lounging at the foot of his bed, looked up at the noise. Damian sat down besides the cat, who immediately climbed into his lap. Damian stroked his fur absentmindedly.

He wasn’t sure why he was mad. He wasn’t even quite sure if he was mad. He just felt frustrated. Overwhelmed. He told himself he was just annoyed with Drake and Brown for interrupting his first attempt at coming out to his father, though a part of him knew it was more than that. 

Damian had come to terms with the fact he was gay, and for the most part, he was fine with it. Logically, he knew it didn’t matter to anyone in his family, Timothy was proof of that. For Tim, coming out wasn’t even a big deal. He’d just shouted it out at breakfast in front of the entire family and that was that. 

Damian sighed, giving Alfred one last scratch behind his ears before moving the cat from his lap and heading for his desk.

His desk stood stark against the rest of his room. While most of his room exuded order and neatness, his desk was nothing short of chaos. Sketchpads were piled high, and jars of colored pens and pencils littered the table’s surface. In the midst of the chaos sat an unfinished drawing of BatCow that he had sketched out earlier in the day. Drawing helped him think, so he had spent the day in his room with his sketchpads and an ongoing debate as to how and when he should come out. 

Damian wished coming out could be as easy for him as it had been for Tim. He wished he didn’t care as much as he did, but every time he thought about coming out, he couldn’t help but hear his mother’s voice recite the responsibilities of the Demon’s Head. He picked up a charcoal pencil and started shading.

After about an hour, when Damian was nearly finished with his drawing of BatCow, there was a knock at his door. He looked at the clock that hung above his desk. It was just past six, which meant Pennyworth was likely behind the door, there to summon him to dinner. “Come in,” he called.

The door opened and Damian was only mildly surprised to see not Pennyworth, but his father lingering in his doorway.

“Father,” Damian said in greeting. “Is dinner prepared?”

Bruce nodded in affirmation. “It is, but I was hoping to talk to you first. May I come in?”

It was Damian’s turn to nod. Bruce entered his room, sitting down on the edge of Damian’s bed. Damian turned in his chair to face his father.

“Drawing?” Bruce asked. Damian nodded again, and Bruce peered over his mess of art supplies to look at his artwork. The image of BatCow was now properly shaded, outlined in black pen, and part way colored. “You’re getting pretty good at that,” Bruce commented. “You’ve got a talent for art.”

“Thank you,” Damian replied. 

Bruce was quiet for a moment and Damian tilted his head. Bruce had said he wanted to talk to Damian, and he doubted the intended talk was about art. Finally, Bruce gave into the silence and spoke. 

“Earlier, you said you wanted to inform me of something?” Bruce asked. “You seemed frustrated when Tim and Steph interrupted.”

“A little,” Damian admitted.

Bruce waited for a moment, but when it seemed Damian wouldn’t speak unprompted he asked, “Well, would you like to tell me now?”

Damian bit the inside of his lip. Did he want to tell Bruce now? He should. He’d been ready to tell him not two hours ago, and objectively, this moment was far more appropriate than earlier. Everyone was assembling for dinner, meaning no one would be poking their head in Damian’s room, interrupting the moment. If he told Bruce now, he could stick with his original plans to tell Grayson this weekend. Once his father and eldest brother knew, it would be easy to come out to the rest of the family. If he was to believe Drake, he may not even have to tell anyone else if Grayson was given the opportunity to talk with them first.

“Damian?” Bruce asked. 

“I’m gay,” Damian blurted. 

And there it was. Now his father knew. He couldn’t take it back. He’d said it. Bruce knew. Bruce knew and Damian couldn’t take it back and he’d have to deal with whatever the consequences were, including his mother’s inevitable disappointment when she found out. 

“Damian. Dami, breathe,” Bruce said. Damian hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath. He let out a shaky exhale.

“Why does everyone call me Dami?”

Bruce smiled at the remark, but his expression quickly grew more serious when he realized Damian still seemed to be engulfed in worry. “Damian,” he said, his voice calm. “It’s okay if you're gay. It doesn’t change how I see you, and it doesn’t change how much I love you.”

Damian nodded in response, taking a few more deep breaths to calm himself. It was okay.

“Did you think I would react badly?” Bruce asked softly. Then, before Damian could answer, his brow wrinkled. “Your brother is gay,” he said, as if he was just now realizing the fact. Though he didn’t ask directly, Damian understood the question: Why were you worried when you knew I wouldn’t care?

“No, I knew you’d be fine with it,” Damian answered. “It’s just… Mother won’t be pleased.”

A look of realization passed over Bruce’s face. “Well, Talia rarely is,” he joked. Damian cracked a small smile. “But if Talia isn’t okay with you being gay, then that’s Talia’s problem, not yours, okay?”

Damian didn’t respond, his gaze locked on his hands folded in his lap.

“Damian,” Bruce said. He said the name forcefully, though his voice was still full of warmth. Damian looked up to meet his eyes. “I need you to hear this: You are a talented fighter, a talented artist, an amazing student, and a near perfect son and brother.”

“Near perfect?”

“I would appreciate it if you stabbed your brothers less often,” Bruce answered dryly. Damian smirked, but let Bruce continue. “What I’m trying to say is you are an amazing person, and being gay cannot and will not change that. If for whatever reason Talia disagrees, you will have endless love and support from me, from Alfred, and from your brothers and sister. We’re family, and nothing can change that. Okay?”

“Okay,” Damian answered. He waited a beat before continuing. “I’m sorry for the dramatics, by the way. I merely wished to inform you of the matter. I intend to tell Grayson this weekend, and Timothy suggested that I tell you first. Apparently Grayson can be quite the gossip.”

“He can be,” Bruce agreed before once again wrinkling his brow. “Timothy? Tim knows?”

“I merely consulted him for advice. He was the logical person to go to in this situation.”

Allowing himself a small smile, Bruce stood from his place at the edge of Damian’s bed. Damian followed in his stead and together the two of them began to head downstairs for dinner.

“So you and Tim are getting along, then?” Bruce asked.

“Not in the slightest,” Damian answered, horrified by the thought of he and Drake being anything but rivals. “He’s nothing more than an unavoidable irritation whom I’ve decided to exploit for my own benefit.”

“Mhm,” Bruce answered, though the corners of his mouth lifted in a manner that suggested he didn’t quite believe Damian.

“I’m serious, Father,” Damian insisted. “You know we can’t stand each other.”

“Mhm,” Bruce repeated as the pair arrived at the dining room. Tim, Steph, and Cass were already seated around the table.

“Drake!” Damian shouted, eager to prove his point. “Tell Father how much you hate me!” 

Tim’s eyes shifted from Damian to Bruce and back to Damian. “Is this a trap?” he finally asked.

Damian sat down, mumbling about the idiots that he was forced to call family. Bruce took a sip of his water as Alfred began to transfer dinner from the kitchen to the dining room table. He smiled into the glass. Yes, Damian was calling his brother an idiot, but a few years ago, Damian wouldn't even acknowledge Tim as a member of the family, let alone his brother. Bruce didn’t care how much they fought. They’d never admit it, but those boys cared for each other.

“You’re not coming to the movies with us!”

“Why not? I want to see the film!”

“It’s rated R. No brats allowed.”

“First of all, don’t call me a brat, you imbecile. Second of all, movie ratings are stupid, and apparently so are you if you don’t realize that I can see the movie if you just buy my ticket for me.”

“I don’t care if the theater will let you in. No brats allowed is my rule. In fact, I think I might make it my life motto.”

“Stop calling me a brat!”

Okay, Bruce changed his mind. He cared how much they fought. He and his growing headache cared a lot.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry it took me so long, but here it is: the sequel to The Consoling Big Brother Role! If you enjoyed, please leave a kudos or comment, they always brighten my day!
> 
> I have a few more ideas for stories set in this universe, so let me know if you'd like me to turn this into a series.
> 
> Follow my Tumblr for more: nightwingbb


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